Cerberus Daily News - October 2013
For canon information, see the Mass Effect Wiki page for Cerberus Daily News. This page is for CDN members' non-canon additions. The following stories contributed by Cerberus Daily News forum members were published on the CDN newsfeed during May 2013. See the main Cerberus Daily News page for current updates. October 2013 – Week One 10/01/13 Frost-Bellied Dawnstalker Declared Extinct Jentudin, Con Dannis Territories, Irune. For thousands of years, it was the globally recognized symbol of the Unshaken City. Today, it's a statistic. As of this morning, the Frost-Bellied Dawnstalker is officially declared extinct. “It’s the sort of news that gives you pause” said Fen Casglag, local relief worker. “When you’re building on the graves of clan, it doesn’t seem like a big deal. Then you remember the atlas you read as a first-rotation schoolchild, the Dawnstalker on the TriClan flag. You remember what’s depicted on the covers of the lawbooks retrieved from public museums. And just like that a part of Jentudin is gone and it isn’t coming back”. The ground-dwelling animal known as the Dawnstalker, noted for its striking coloration and dignified pose, was indigenous to a small region proximate to the city, a region left devastated by Reaper weaponry during the occupation of Irune. While a dedicated population of pilgrims, refugees and ex-pats continue to rebuild the City that Never Fell, the surrounding environment has been deemed unsalvageable, its unique fauna and flora gone for good - and with it one of Jentudin’s defining cultural symbols. “They’re adding species to the list every day”, said Rexis Autarion, leader of the Protectorate taskforce charged with overseeing the environmental reclamation of the volus homeworld. “This one received a bit of notice, because we’ve all seen its image on a seal or a banner. Most of the others are simply forgotten”. One determined woman seeks to turn this grim catalog into a true memorial. Former Lecturer in Life Sciences at the University of Bem Ven Evess, later esteemed writer, Professor Kip Anyew has announced her latest and most ambitious project. "A Thousand Precious Jewels" is to be a compilation of images, factual articles and first-person narratives focused on the many Irunian species lost to the invasion and its aftermath. “Most people are simply glad that ‘volus’ isn’t on the list, and leave it at that”, she noted on TwoEyesOpen, the reconstituted professional networking site on which she enjoys a considerable following. “Every species has a story. Every species had to earn its place through the process of natural selection, seizing an open niche and holding it through a thousand complications. Every species represents an epic we may never fully comprehend. Some of them were lucky enough to have their stories made, however briefly, part of our own. We all know the Dawnstalker and can mourn the loss. But every one of these species deserves a chance to have their stories preserved”. For the new population of Jentudin, the loss of the Frost-Bellied Dawnstalker is far more than another entry on a list. Said local religious leader Cos Nemedu: “The people of the Unshaken City lived in accordance with the laws of balance and respect for nature. They left certain lands undeveloped to preserve the natural order, in thanks for the resources they took from further afield. It isn’t merely the city that has lost an enduring symbol. Something eternally Vol has died here”. “All stories end” says Kip Anyew, “But no species deserves to have its story cut short. The people who lived in proximity to the Dawnstalker understood this. The Reapers, to no-one’s surprise, did not”. October 2013 - Week Two 10/09/13 - Terran Reconstruction Proceeds Apace Bringing Hope, Complications By Piotr Borowiec, Tayseri Times New York City, Earth- In a press conference held this morning, the Administrator for the Atlantic North-East UNAS Region, General Armand Yazdani of the SAMC 25th Armored Brigade confirmed rumors that the political bloc as a whole has reached the projected Sixty Five Percent barrier well within scheduled time constraints. A largely unofficial policy implemented under the Hackett administration, the Sixty Five Percent barrier refers to the critical threshold of pre-War conditions at which a given Administrative region of an industrialized nation will generally be able to meet the minimal conditions for self sustainment. In the UNAS overlapping areas of infrastructural reconstruction, agricultural augmentation, and geographical pacification have created one of the largest “Reclaimed Zones” outside the Yangtze River Valley East, Ganges River Valley North-Northeast, Southern Chinese Pacific (home of the Greater Hong Kong Province), Persian Gulf North-Central, and Central-Northwest Russian. Stretching from the Great Lakes region to encompass a vast swathe of the Eastern seaboard, the region was and remains one of the most densely populated and heavily industrialized sectors on the continent, collectively home to better than a hundred and fifty million people. As a result it was prioritized for redevelopment shortly after the Crucible Event and the military’s assumption of planetary authority. “Truly, this represents a great step forward” stated General Yazdani, “not only for the people of the UNAS but the Reconstruction effort as a whole. With Atlantic North-East producing net gains of both finished goods and agricultural product we are better situated to aid areas in more desperate need. Both within the UNAS and abroad.” However such actions, while unavoidable given the ratio of military to civilian on the planet, may have profound consequences for regional geopolitics in the future. Dr. Isaac Herzog, professor of Political Science at Northwestern University had this to say on the subject, “Fragmentation, either in three years or thirty, because of actions taken today, is a very real, very tangible concern. These regions are developing in tandem ahead of their fellows, forming more personalized fiscal and material bonds under the aegis of the Systems Alliance. Factor in demographic shifts to the protected areas and I, personally, would not be surprised to see some of the global megastates such as the UNAS collapse into a number of smaller, independent nations in the future.” 10/09/13 - Traffic at Pelion subject to boarding inspections Pelion system/Nimbus – As civilian traffic is picking up in volume to and from Nimbus Cluster, the patrol fleet at the Pelion Relay has issued new procedures for outbound cargo vessels. “All civilian operated cargo vessels which want to enter the Pelion relay will be subject to be inspected by a boarding party for the time being. This will not be a 100% measure at this point but the responsible traffic controller at the relay protection flotilla will decide on a case to case basis,” says Matriarch Lameta, commander-in-chief of the Nimbus patrol fleets. “We will try and keep disturbance and delays to a minimum but at this point the measure is necessary unfortunately.” Until now, civilian traffic had only to register and clear with the flotilla in the Pelion system on an intercom and scan basis. The republican forces are fighting smugglers and pirates in the cluster. After reports of trade-restricted rare goods from Nimbus sources surfacing on the free market outside the cluster, calls have been raised for tighter controls at the relay. However there are critical voices. “Free relay travel is a basic sapient right. Every measure that’s hindering or even blockading relays is not a good development! The asari should stop that and remove their fleet from the vicinity of the relay!” says sapient rights activist Perola Gern on the Citadel. Council speaker Curt Langvalley dismissed critics. “Free travel is absolutely ensured. This is no infraction of Council laws, this is merly a police action.” If and how this will affect the trade of the Nimbus systems remains to be seen. 10/09/13 - Nos Astra Protests Turn Violent ‘No Case’ Verdict Results In Rioting Alarra Meviri, Illium Herald Protests over the Scarletwood shooting have turned violent in Nos Astra, following the finding by a Justice Directorate board of inquiry that the officers involved had no case to answer for regarding their actions. Olir Welus, a salarian civilian, was shot and killed outside Scarletwood maglev station by NAPD Task Force Redoubt personnel responding to a terrorist threat, but Directorate later admitted Olir’s innocence of any involvement with the reported threat. While a separate board of inquiry has yet to hand down findings on revisions to NAPD protocols as a result of the shooting, yesterday’s announcement cleared the three officers (referred to as S1, S2 and S3) directly responsible for the pursuit and interception of any wrongdoing, stating that “Officers S1, S2, and S3 acted in accordance with the NAPD’s duty to the citizens of Nos Astra with regard to the threat they properly believed the suspect posed at the time.” Protests arose in a number of districts, as well as within the virtual legislatures of both Nos Astra and Illium as a whole, but these were overshadowed by evening when protesters in Cold Claw attacked NAPD infrastructure, damaging surveillance equipment and injuring several officers. Reinforcements met unexpected resistance from rioters, and at this stage a five-block radius had been cordoned off amid reports of damage to buildings and public spaces. Cold Claw’s residents are primarily batarian and human, with a high proportion of indentured workers, and sources have identified so-called ‘Reconciliation Activist’ Enark Maska, a former enforcer aligned with the Blue Suns mercenary group, as one of the key instigators of tonight’s unrest. Using the authority granted by Justice Directorate’s declaration of Security Case Silver, peaceful protests elsewhere in the city have been dispersed, and citizens are advised to remain indoors. Justice Directorate has released a brief statement including the following: “We wish to reassure citizens that Nos Astra Police Department has the Cold Claw situation under control, and no danger is posed to lives or property outside the district. Cold Claw district will be pacified and offenders placed in custody as soon as an on-site review has been made to determine the best way to avoid collateral damage.” UPDATE NAPD units moving into Cold Claw early this morning have brought a halt to the outbreak of rioting and vandalism in the district. Dissident resistance crumbled quickly, although not before one looter attempted to ram an advancing pacification unit with a stolen skycar, damaging a number of crowd control mechs and injuring one officer, now in stable condition in Nos Varda Reserve Hospital. Numerous arrests have been made, but the alleged instigator of the riots Enark Maska was not among them, as Justice Directorate has posted a bounty for information on the former Blue Suns enforcer’s whereabouts. October 2013 - Week Three 10/17/13 - Resort island closure angers tourists via The Galaxy Weekly Veiled Ridges Dome City, Kahje - An island known as Clasp of the Enkindlers is perhaps one of the best known resorts on the hanar homeworld, known for its many and varied services offered for tourists both in and outside the domed environment. However that was changed with the recent decree from the regional governor of the Illuminated Primacy who closed off the island from foreigners. The Clasp of the Enkindlers also hosts ancient Prothean ruins in vicinity of its beaches which act also as places of worship for the believers. Said beaches have also attracted a lot of attention from amorous couples who seek secluded locations and don't necessarily bother to clean after themselves, leaving the high tide to wash their trash onto the ruins. "The most deplorable activities that take place within sight of our sacred sites is blasphemy and insult to the memory of the Enkindlers. The filth that the Encompassing brings down from the Clasp of the Enkindlers on the faithful is even worse. To restore the respect to the marks of those who elevated us, This one has elected to bar entry from the offending aliens to the island and its facilities until further notice." Governor Aqiln declared in its statement over the decision. This sudden closure has affected tens of arranged package tours and thousands of tourists, who stand to lose the hefty fees they paid for the package they can't experience now. 10/17/13 - Deadly Shootout at Nightclub Authorities responded to a deadly shootout in the Silver Star Club earlier this morning, a shootout that left four individuals dead and critically wounded 17 others. "It was a nightmare," one survivor, who wished to remain anonymous, told reporters. "They came in and started shooting - they didn't even ask for anything." According to archived security footage, a hooded individual rushed into club in an apparent attempt to flee the four gunmen, which apparently sparked the altercation inside the Silver Star. Eyewitness reported that gunmen entered the establishment and drew their weapons with blatant disregard to the bystanders. One the gunmen was reportedly killed by the building security, while the other three attempting to flee when C-Sec arrived, resulting in a brief standoff that killed the remaining gunmen. Citadel authorities refuse to provide comments at this time, but a statement was released earlier this day, promising that "an investigation is ongoing." 10/17/13 - The New Daestrom Academy opens its Doors. Sontax Kuri'ik, Apien Press Portal. RANNOCH. Today marks a joyous and historical event for the quarian people as the first university on the planet opens after it's reclamation. Representatives of the Quarian Conclave as well as the Geth Collective were present at the grand opening of the newly-constructed campus, located just outside of the main settlement. In an emotional speech, Daestrom Project Administrator San'Daala vas Kontei addressed the gathered crowd. "This is the first product of true good-willed cooperation between the Geth and the Quarians. For centuries our people were deprived of access to the wisdom of their ancestors and their traditions. A millennia worth of knowledge survived in mere databanks, in the form of nothing more than cold digits. Our arts and traditions struggled to stay alive as we took care for the most basic of our needs. But now we can revive our cultural treasures. In the halls of this university, the legacy of our ancestors will finally be inherited by the new generation. Their knowledge brought back to life and passed down once more. The words of long lost languages shall be heard again in these halls and the arts and sciences will flourish!" A representative of the Collective, who asked to be identified as 'Shann' has also made a few statements "During the three centuries that spanned between the Morning War and The pressed day, both Creators and Geth have accumulated a large amount of new knowledge across proximately 61 distinct fields. To facilitate the compiled sum of all Creator/Geth information and ensure its proper storage and distribution, an academic educational environment was deemed necessary. Both practical and sentimental reasons were considered before this initiative" The Daestrom Acadamy was named after the Migrant Fleet ship, QMF Daestrom, a science ship whose archives kept an encyclopedic compendium of Rannoch's civilization alive to this very day and whose science labs helped in realising the leaps of advancement that quarian technology made over the past centuries. Though the campus is meant to accommodate only about a thousand students, many more applications have been received. The Conclave has reassured the public that expansion works are already underway and all applicants can soon be accepted. Category:Cerberus Daily News Articles